Welcome to Fatchett Legalisation’s Companies House document apostille service. We specialise in providing efficient and reliable apostille services for Companies House documents, ensuring they meet international standards. Whether you need to authenticate your Companies House documents for trading or other legal reasons our professional team is here to help you legalise your official company paperwork. Trust our legalisation service to handle your apostille needs with precision and care.
Why use Fatchett Legalisation for your Companies House Document Apostille?
- FREE Document reviews.
- FREE expert advice.
- Competitive prices.
- Money-back refund guarantee.
- Highly recommended.
Also, unlike many of our competitors, we are a firm of notaries. This means:
- We have more in-house expertise than most of our competitors, and can offer fast and expert advise without having to refer you to third parties.
- Our industry regulator holds us to a higher standard than most of our competitors.
Choose your Companies House Document Apostille Service
Companies House Document Formats for Apostille
You can get a Companies House document apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office for the following document formats:
- Your original Companies House document signed by an official of Companies House
- Your original Companies House document not signed by an official of Companies House
- A photocopy of your Companies House document
- A printout of your electronic Companies House document produced from the original PDF or other electronic document
You may not wish to send the original document by post. Also, sending an electronic copy by email can save valuable time. Alternatively, we can download most Companies House documents directly from the Companies House website, including:
- Certificate of incorporation
- Form IN01(ef)
- Memorandum of Association
- Articles of Association
- Financial statements such as an Annual Return (AR01)
- Confirmation statements
- Certificate of incorporation on change of name
- Company snapshot
However, if you provide anything but an original Companies House document signed by an official of Companies House, the document must be certified by a solicitor or notary public in the UK before it can be apostilled.
When the solicitor or notary public signs the document, they must:
- have a valid practising certificate
- sign the document in the UK
- state the action they have taken e.g. witnessed, certified a copy, confirmed as original
- use their personal signature, not a company signature
- include the date of certification
- include their name and company address
The solicitor or notary public’s signature must be an original, hand-written signature. The FCDO Legalisation Office will not accept a photocopy or scan of a signature.
If they add a notarial certificate, it must be attached to the document. The certificate must also contain a specific reference to the document they have certified. If a notary public from England, Wales or Northern Ireland signs a document for legalisation, they must also stamp or emboss the document with their notarial seal.
Fatchett Legalisation has in-house solicitors and notaries to correctly handle this process for you.
If you require just one Companies House issued document to be legalised with an apostille then this would incur a single fee.
If you need multiple documents legalised then you can either request an apostille for each document or request that all the documents are apostilled as a bound set. The latter will save money. However, not all requesting authorities will accept bundles.
If you require an apostille for a Companies House Certificate of Good Standing, an original document with a “wet ink” signature must be ordered from Companies House. This can be apostilled as is and additionally notarised if notarisation is required by the requesting agency.
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FAQ
Companies House documents are official documents submitted to Companies House as part of a company’s filing history. Examples include:
- Company incorporation documents such as Memorandum and Articles of Association
- Annual accounts
- Annual confirmation statements
- Change of company name
- Change of registered office address
- Adding or changing a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL) address
- The location of statutory company records and registers
- Adding or removing a director or company secretary
- Changing the details of a director, secretary, or shareholder
- Changes to the Persons of Significant Control (PSC) register
- Issuing or transferring shares
- Altering the articles of association
- Changes to a company’s share capital
- Changing a company’s SIC codes
- Changing the Accounting Reference Date (ARD)
- Reporting a company as dormant
- Changing the trading status of a company from dormant to active
- Dissolution and liquidation documents
If you require a certified copy of a document from the company’s filing history to be certified, you must:
- register for a Companies House service account
- know the company and document you want to order
- have an address where the certified document can be delivered
- have a credit or debit card for payment
Using the Find and update company information service on the Companies House website, search for your company by name or number, find your company from the list provided and select the more tab from the company overview screen. Here you will be able to order a certified document. The standard service cost is £15 as of 10th December 2024 and should be processed within 4 working days.
An apostille of a Companies House document may be requested by overseas regulatory authorities, government agencies, financial institutions, or businesses that you wish to transact with. If the requesting country that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, apostille is the preferable method of legalisation.
In the UK, you can get a Companies House document apostilled through the Legalisation Office or FCDO-authorised service providers, such as Fatchett Legalisation. Our team is experienced in handling such requests, ensuring your document is processed efficiently and correctly.
In the UK, apostilles are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Legalisation Office. When issuing an apostille, the FCDO will affix a certificate to the original documents to show that the document and signatures are genuine. However, authorised service providers like Fatchett Legalisation can facilitate the process on your behalf, making it more convenient and often faster. For further assistance or to initiate the apostille process for your certificate of incorporation, please get in touch with Fatchett Legalisation. Our knowledgeable team is here to guide you through every step of the process.
We can arrange apostille for original “wet ink” signed Companies House documents, unsigned documents or copies and print outs. However, unsigned documents, copies and print outs require solicitor certification or notarisation before submission to the FCDO.
The cost to apostille a Companies House document can vary depending on the service provider, any requirements for solicitor certification or notarisation, and the urgency of the request. At Fatchett Legalisation, we offer competitive rates for apostille services. For detailed pricing, please contact our office or visit our website order form, where we regularly update our fee structure.
The time it takes to apostille a Companies House document can vary. Typically, the process can take from a couple of working days to a couple of weeks, depending on the workload of the Legalisation Office. At Fatchett Legalisation, we offer expedited services to meet urgent requirements.
To obtain an apostille for a certificate of incorporation in the UK, follow these steps:
- Obtain an original copy of the Companies House document “wet ink” signed by an official of Companies House.
- Submit the document to the Legalisation Office or authorised service, such as Fatchett Legalisation.
- Pay the necessary fees.
- Wait for the document to be processed and returned with the apostille.
At Fatchett Legalisation, we can streamline this process, ensuring your documents are handled correctly and efficiently.
An apostille is a certificate attached to your Companies House document. It usually features a stamp or sticker and includes information such as the issuing country’s authentication, the identity of the official who signed the document, and the date of issue. It is designed to be easily recognisable by officials in foreign countries.
In the UK, apostilles are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Legalisation Office. When issuing an apostille, the FCDO will affix a certificate to the documents to show that the document and signatures are genuine. However, authorised service providers like Fatchett Legalisation can facilitate the process on your behalf, making it more convenient and often faster. For further assistance or to initiate the apostille process for your Companies House documents, please get in touch with Fatchett Legalisation. Our knowledgeable team is here to guide you through every step of the process.
The FCDO will not issue an apostille certificate if the your original Companies House document is not signed by an official of Companies House or if you provide a photocopy or print out of an electronic copy that has not been certified or notarised by a UK solicitor or notary who has not registered their signature with the FCDO.
The Hague Convention simplifies the process of certifying or legalising documents, such as a Companies House document, for international use. An apostille certifies that the Companies House document is authentic. The Hague Convention ensures that the apostille certification process is standardised across member countries.
At Fatchett Legalisation, we understand the details and requirements for obtaining an apostille for your documents. Trust our service to handle the certification of your documents efficiently under the Hague Convention’s guidelines.
Countries outside of the Apostille Convention will not recognise an apostilled Companies House document. As of July 2024, 127 states are contracting states of the Apostille Convention, but Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Vietnam (North) are not. Legalisation for these countries usually involves attestation at their UK embassy. Fatchett Legalisation can advise you on alternative methods of document legalisation for non-contracting locales.
It is also worth noting that although the FCDO may not require certification or notarisation for apostille of original “wet ink” signed Companies House documents, the international authority my still require notarisation of the documents.
Still have more questions?
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